Posted on February 23, 2022 in Personal Injury

The last thing you expect when you visit a restaurant with family or friends is to suffer a serious burn injury. Yet for many Illinois diners, catastrophic burns happen suddenly and have the potential to change their lives for years to come. A waiter may accidentally tip hot coffee or soup into a patron’s lap, hot grease can melt right through to-go bags, or oil from a teppanyaki-style grill can splash out onto a visitor. Whatever the reason, burn injury lawsuits are more common than you might think and victims can often pursue compensation from the responsible party. 

What is a Restaurant’s Duty of Care? 

Under Illinois’ Premises Liability Act, restaurants have a responsibility to provide their patrons with a duty of care, including preventing burns through reasonable means. Burns are a legitimate risk in restaurants, and steps must be taken to ensure customers do not suffer painful injuries because of poorly trained staff, uneven floors that cause a slipping hazard around hot grills, or flimsy containers. 

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 Posted on February 12, 2022 in Car Accidents

Our ears are complex organs that help us hear and keep our balance. Made up of many parts, the middle and inner ear are especially fragile and susceptible to damage that can impact our hearing and balance permanently. Auto accidents, in particular, are often the cause of major, long-term hearing loss. 

The consequences of full or partial hearing loss can catastrophically impact your day-to-day life and make everyday activities like working, exercising, and even walking difficult or impossible. If you have recently been involved in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident in Illinois and you are experiencing ringing ears or hearing loss, meeting with a personal injury attorney may be a good idea. 

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 Posted on February 11, 2022 in Personal Injury

Every year in the United States, around 5,000 lives are tragically lost in motorcycle accidents and around 80,000 more motorcycle drivers are injured. More than ten times as many men die in motorcycle accidents as women, and drivers under age 35 cause are involved in a significant majority of motorcycle accidents. 

Regardless of the age or family status of the victim, when a loved one is suddenly lost in a motorcycle accident, it is a shock and tragedy for the ones left behind. When the victim is a parent and breadwinner, the family he or she leaves behind can be left reeling, uncertain of what the future holds. If someone you love has suffered a wrongful death in a motorcycle accident in Illinois because of the negligent actions of another person, you may be able to pursue justice in the form of financial compensation. While a lawsuit can never bring back your loved one, it has the potential to provide much-needed financial security and some stability for the future. 

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 Posted on January 24, 2022 in Personal Injury

Dog attacks are frightening for anyone, but for children, they can be particularly scary. Not only are many dogs stronger and bigger than most children, but the effects of a dog attack in a child’s youth can have a life-long impact on their relationship with dogs and other animals. 

In addition to the psychological harm of dog attacks, the injuries sustained in dog bites can be extremely painful, require extensive medical treatment, and be serious enough to permanently disfigure a child. If your child has suffered from a disfiguring dog bite injury, you may want to speak with an experienced Illinois dog bite attorney to explore your legal options. 

What are the Effects of Dog Bite Scarring? 

Most children acquire scars as a normal part of the rough-and-tumble nature of childhood, but dog bites can leave scars that are disfiguring. Dog bites on a child’s face and neck can leave particularly noticeable scars.  A child with facial scarring is not only constantly reminded of the trauma she experienced but is likely to struggle with social connections and job prospects. In addition to the impact this can have on a child's daily life, studies suggest that individuals with facial disfigurement and other disabilities may face discrimination in hiring practices. 

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 Posted on January 18, 2022 in Personal Injury

Semi-trucks and 18-wheelers are essential for transporting necessary goods all over the country. Food, clothing, vehicles, and even prefabricated homes travel safely to their destinations every day, thanks to the effort of cautious trucking companies and their drivers. 

But trucks can also pose serious risks, especially to other drivers on the road in smaller vehicles. Trucks that are improperly loaded, negligently maintained, or driven by exhausted or inebriated drivers can cause crashes that lead to serious and even fatal injuries. If you or someone you love has been involved in a truck accident, it may be possible to recover financial damages with the help of an experienced Illinois truck accident attorney. Here are three common causes of fatal truck accidents. 

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 Posted on January 11, 2022 in Personal Injury

Car accidents in Cook County are serious matters. While most major car accidents are not fatal, they nearly always result in some kind of injury. And most of those injuries, like cuts, lacerations, and bruises, may be painful, however, they will eventually heal. Some injuries, however, never heal and can change the victim’s life forever. 

One particularly serious type of injury is amputation. The loss of a leg, foot, arm, or hand is a catastrophic injury that can permanently impact a victim’s ability to work, move around, and live a normal life. When an amputation occurs after a car accident in which another driver’s negligence is to blame, an experienced personal injury attorney may be able to help the amputee obtain just compensation for their loss and suffering. 

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 Posted on January 06, 2022 in Personal Injury

Construction workers have incredibly important and incredibly dangerous jobs. Building and repairing structures and roads often requires workers to use dangerous equipment, climb to great heights, or work in deep trenches. Safety precautions can prevent most accidents, but construction site injuries and deaths can still occur. In fact, about 20 percent of worker fatalities in the United States occur in the construction industry.  

If you were injured while working in construction, it is important to understand your rights. You may be entitled to compensation for your lost income and medical bills. Depending on the circumstances of the injury, you may also be able to pursue a third-party claim and seek further damages.

Injuries From Construction Accidents

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established strict safety regulations for the construction industry. Unfortunately, these standards are not always followed. Mistakes and carelessness can lead to preventable accidents in which workers and bystanders are severely injured.

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 Posted on January 04, 2022 in Personal Injury

Even when you are driving defensively, the behavior of other motorists can cause serious car accidents. Although it is true that motorcyclists are at much more risk of being injured in car accidents than the occupants of a car or truck, it is also true that many motorcyclists cause or are involved in accidents because of reckless driving. Many motorcycle drivers are young men who, without thinking carefully about the consequences, often drive far above the speed limit on highways and other thoroughfares, putting the other drivers around them in serious danger. 

Reckless driving by speeding motorcyclists can cause the drivers of nearby vehicles to swerve in an effort to avoid an impending collision, causing a serious car crash. Sometimes, the rider will pull over and help. Other times, by the time the car crash has happened, the motorcyclist is long gone. If you have been seriously injured in a car accident that you caused only because you tried to avoid another collision, you may be able to prove the accident would never have happened if not for the other driver’s actions. 

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 Posted on December 28, 2021 in Personal Injury

Every year, dozens of pedestrians in Illinois are seriously injured or killed when they are struck by a vehicle. Drivers may be distracted by traffic or cell phones, or might have their vision impaired by bad weather or nighttime driving; whatever the cause, the consequences for victims of these accidents are often life-altering. 

One of the most common types of injuries suffered by pedestrians hit by motor vehicles is back injuries. Damage can be localized or distributed throughout the spine and is nearly always found in combination with associated injuries like soft tissue or organ damage. Spinal cord injuries are particularly challenging because they can cause paralysis, permanent numbness and tingling, and debilitating pain. These injuries can be expensive and prevent a victim from working their normal job for the rest of their lives. If you or someone you love has been hit by a car, you may be able to hold the person responsible for damages and compensation. 

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 Posted on December 23, 2021 in Personal Injury

More than five million people in the United States have some form of paralysis. People’s lives are forever changed when they lose the ability to move part or all of their body. A car crash is one of the leading causes of spinal cord injuries leading to paralysis which can be physically difficult. Adapting to your new way of life can also be challenging psychologically. If you or a loved one was paralyzed due to a car crash, and the injuries were caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to file a lawsuit against the responsible driver.

Recognizing Paralysis

Paralysis occurs when someone is unable to make voluntary muscle movements. The ability to control your body after a spinal cord injury hinges on the severity of the injury and what part of the spinal cord sustains the injury. The impact of a car crash often injures the spinal cord and although you may not feel the pain right away you should see a doctor right away. These are some signs and symptoms that something is not right:

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